Educational Science

Genomes of 51 animal species mapped in record time, creating 'evolutionary time machine'

Researchers just mapped and published the genomes of 51 animal species, from fish-eating crocodiles known as gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) to fierce cloud leopards (Neofelis nebulosa). These genetic blueprints could have broad implications for humans, particularly for understanding our evolutionary history, according to a paper published Jan. 26 in the journal...

Evolution Predictable Everywhere in the Universe, Scientist Says

If the history of life on Earth could be rewound and replayed, many of the same innovations would reappear, although at different times and in slightly different forms. This is the conclusion of Geerat Vermeij, a paleontologist at the University of California, Davis. Vermeij's views imply that evolution is in...

You've heard the age-old riddle: Which came first: the chicken or the egg? Taken metaphorically, it's a meditation on the futility of determining the cause of a self-perpetuating cycle. Taken literally, it's a great question for evolutionary biologists. Chickens come from eggs, but eggs come from chickens. So which came...

Neanderthals were 'top-level carnivores,' tooth analysis suggests

Neanderthals were likely carnivores, a new analysis of the hominins’ dental tartar has revealed. Scientists made the discovery by analyzing the concentrations of different versions, or isotopes, of zincs in a Neanderthal tooth found in Gabasa, Spain. That analysis revealed that the tooth's owner was a top-level carnivore, the researchers...

Invisible barrier that runs through Indonesia finally explained by scientists

The longstanding puzzle of a gigantic evolutionary line has been solved more than 160 years after the boundary was first drawn up. The confusing line, which is both imaginary and real, arose millions of years ago after a continental collision triggered extreme climate change that impacted the species on each...

Are legs more important than arms?

Evolution has equipped animals with arms and legs of all shapes and sizes — but is one type of limb more important than the other? The answer lies in a different question: What species are you talking about? Animals live in different environments. They do different things ecologically, John Hutchinson,...

Why don't humans have gills?

Roughly 375 million years ago, a funny-looking fish named Tiktaalik ventured ashore using novel adaptations: lobed fins to propel itself to walk on land and air sacs in its throat to breathe oxygen from the air. Tiktaalik, which also had gills, is the earliest known common ancestor of tetrapods, or...

What is Darwin's Theory of Evolution?

The Theory of Evolution by natural selection was first formulated in Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species published in 1859. In his book, Darwin describes how organisms evolve over generations through the inheritance of physical or behavioral traits, as National Geographic explains. The theory starts with the premise...

Did the Cambrian explosion really happen?

A cursory flip through any high school biology textbook will inevitably surface a mention of the Cambrian explosion, a period about 540 million to 520 million years ago during which many animal groups first sprang into life and diversified. The event is frequently described as rapid and prolific, evoking a...

Why can't we smell ourselves as well as we smell others?

If you've ever taken public transportation after a visit to the gym or sat nervously on a date, maybe you've wondered whether your body odor is noticeable to other people. It's easy to tell when others are sweaty or have bad breath, and yet it seems much harder to gauge...